Irish Moss Health Concerns
Go figure, I finally jump onto the Irish Moss train, which has been touted as a super food in the raw food community for years, only to wake up to a weekly email in my in-box from Dr. Andrew Weil warning about the dangers of carrageenan. What does this have to do with Irish Moss? Carrageenan is extracted from Irish Moss.
Alarmed, I started digging and emailing. I even went to the woman who is considered to be the one of the top experts in carrageenan research, Dr. Joanne Tobacman of the University of Illinois. Dr. Tobacman has been studying the effects of carrageenan for over a decade.
It seems that carrageenan can cause inflammation (one of our greatest enemies) and intestinal distress. Even more alarming, when carrageenan is extracted from the irish moss, this form of carrageenan has been associated with human cancers.
But wait, haven’t we all read about the wonderful health benefits of Irish Moss? Isn’t it supposed to be great for us? I wondered if there was a difference between consuming Irish Moss in it’s whole form vs an extraction, the carrageenan.
I asked Dr. Tobacman if we needed to be concerned with consuming Irish Moss in it’s whole form. While the extraction is the most dangerous form (and widely found in many organic and non-organic products for sale), Dr. Tobacman stated, “When we tested Irish moss, we found that it also caused inflammation, similar to the effect of the derived carrageenan. The degree of inflammation was less, probably due to reduced availability of the carrageenan, due to the other ingredients in the seaweed. The answer to your question is yes, I think that Irish moss should be avoided, due to the likelihood that the carrageenan in the Irish moss will lead to inflammation.”
So there you have it. Armed with that information, you will not see Irish Moss used in any more recipes designated for consumption on this website. I am also redoing the Lemon Raspberry Souffle Tart that I published last week, replacing Irish Moss on the ingredient list.
Because of the prevalence of carrageenan in so many of the products that we use, including many organic varieties, I am including some links that I think are important for you to visit to educate yourselves on this dangerous food additive.
Dr. Tobacman’s studies can be viewed here: Studies on Carrageenan (these are published medical studies)
Another excellent, easier to read article by Rodal Press: Carrageenan, The Natural Ingredient that is Wrecking Your Gut
From the Cornucopia Institute: Carrageenan: Linked to Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Colon Cancer This article also discusses the attempts to get carrageenan removed from organic foods and the push-back the ensued.
After researching, reading and communicating with Dr. Tobacman, I would suggest that you remove Irish Moss from your raw food pantry and also make sure you look for carrageenan on your food labels and avoid it. Cornucopia has compiled a list of food producers that use carrageenan and those who don’t. You can find that list here: Shopping Guide to Avoid Carrageenan.
Paul B wrote on October 13, 2012
Just read the Elaina Love article and Harlan’s comment below it. The fact that carageenan is extracted from Irish Moss using strong alkali solvents makes me suspicious of indicting the whole food, Irish Moss. I can think of many examples of extracts or processed foods that cause problems not inherent in the whole food. Isolated soy protein is one. It raises insulin-like growth factor 1 or IGF-1 where edameme does not. Or flaxseed oil has been implicated in prostate cancer risk for men whereas the whole seed with its fiber and lignans have not. There may be protective factor and fiber in whole Irish Moss not in the carageenan and of course no solvent residues. I think each person needs to look at the data for themselves and decide based on all the information.
Paul B wrote on October 13, 2012
Susan,
I understand what you are saying. I am going to look at your data and see if I can find the articles you are referring to. I could not find anything on Irish Moss in Pub Med. As with all things, I would look at Dr. Tobacan’s data with other data to try and assess the weight of the evidence. And of course respect your decision to discontinue its use.
Paul
Susan wrote on October 12, 2012
Ida, thank you for pointing that out. But since I have communicated directly with Dr, Tobacman, and she has advised against the consumption of Irish Moss (see above) I will no longer be using Irish Moss in any recipes on this site, or consuming the product myself.
Inflammation is one of our worst enemies. And if Irish Moss (in it’s whole form) causes inflammation, it is off my list, period.
Judy wrote on October 12, 2012
Here’s a link to Elaina Love’s article:
http://elainalove.com/2012/10/13/the-buzz-about-irish-moss/
Ida wrote on October 12, 2012
Elaina Love had a great article on Irish Moss and Carageenan today. Please check it out to see what it says.
Kevin Gianni wrote on October 12, 2012
Susan,
I don’t see the whole Irish moss studies on Pubmed. Do you have links to them?
You can email me at the address you see in the admin 🙂
Thanks!
Kev
Susan wrote on October 12, 2012
I don’t know if she has any specific published studies on whole Irish Moss. This was from a conversation I had with her when I specifically asked about whole Irish Moss. She stated that they had tested it, it caused inflammation and she would not recommend ingesting it. You can see her direct quote in the post.
Kevin, I would suggest contacting Dr. Tobacman. She is not difficult to get a hold of and very responsive.
Susan wrote on October 12, 2012
Gena, I completely agree with you. I am so careful, especially when people just go off on something because some one said ____ (fill in the blank). But when the information starts to come from very trusted sources, you have to pay attention and start to dig.
By the way, I also still use agave (a good one) because I think so much of the controversy over it was disproved or at least not applicable to many of the good, consciously produced agaves out there.
Gabby @ the veggie nook wrote on October 12, 2012
This is a great post! I always resisted using Irish Moss in my recipes, mostly due to the cost, but not I’m glad I never got used to having it around! I’m really glad I make my own almond milk and avoid most of the other processed foods it’s found in! While I still might consume some of the foods that contains it occasionally, I am going to make sure it doesn’t make it’s way into my kitchen in the form of irish moss! Thanks for the info!!
Suzanne wrote on October 12, 2012
Good to know – I haven’t seen this info anywhere else yet. I bought some Irish Moss 2 years ago to experiment with when I first went raw, and never got around to it. I felt a little guilty every time I saw it sitting there in the back of the fridge ($20 wasted). So now I feel a lot better! Looking forward to finding out how to use it up in facial masks or any other external use. I wonder if there is some way to make a natural hair styling gel with it?